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Thursday, March 13, 2014

"Just A Little Talk With Jesus" (lyrics and videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents lyrics for and seven examples of the Gospel song "Just A Little Talk With Jesus" (also known as "Have A Little Talk With Jesus"). Information about Cleavant Derricks,the composer of this song is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, religious, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Cleavant Derricks, those featured in these sound files and videos, and the publishers of these examples on YouTube. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPOSER OF "JUST A LIITLE TALK WITH JESUS"
"TITLE: "Just a Little Talk with Jesus"
AUTHOR: Cleavant Derricks, born Chattanooga, Tennessee, May 13, 1910; died Chattanooga, Tennessee, April 14, 1977

Cleavant Derricks, African American and father of twin actor sons (Cleavant Derricks and Clinton Derricks-Carroll), studied at the Cadek Conservatory of Music, Knoxville, Tennessee, Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College (now Tennessee State University), and the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville. By age twenty-one, he was at the Vermont Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., where he directed a gospel choir with over 100 voices and associated with numerous well-known musicians of the day, including his friend, Mahalia Jackson. As a Baptist pastor, he later served churches in Dayton, Knoxville, and Jackson, Tennessee; Beloit, Wisconsin; and Washington, D.C. He founded and grew the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., during the 1940s.

Derricks established a solid reputation and career as pastor, choir director, poet, musician, and composer -- with over 300 songs to his credit and several song collections. "Just a Little Talk with Jesus" is his best-known and most-performed song, but others include "When God Dipped His Love in My Heart," "We'll Soon Be Done with Troubles and Trials," "When He Blessed My Soul" and "I Want the Light from the Lighthouse to Shine on Me." In 1984, Derricks was inducted posthumously into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Although African American, Derricks' music had great appeal to southern white singers and the singing conventions, even at a time in United States history when white singers would not normally perform music by African Americans. Many of Derricks' songs were published by white publishers, including the shaped note songbooks and the publications of Stamps-Baxter. There has been frequent exchange of music between black and white churches since the days of slavery, and Derricks' songs are no exception. His songs continue to enjoy great popularity among black and white churches, publishers' catalogues, and recording artists today."...

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LYRICS: "JUST A LIITLE TALK WITH JESUS"
(Cleavant Derricks)

Verse 1:
I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in
And then a little light from heaven filled my soul
It bathed my heart in love and wrote my name above
And just a little talk with Jesus made me whole

Chorus:
Now let us have a little talk with Jesus
Let us tell Him all about our troubles
He will hear our faintest cry
He will answer by and by
Now when you feel a little prayer wheel turning
And you know a little fire is burning
You will find a little talk with Jesus makes it right

Verse 2:
Sometimes my path seems dreary without a ray of cheer
And then the cloud about me hides the light of day
The mists of sin may rise and hide the stormy skies
But just a little talk with Jesus clears the way

Verse 3:
I may have doubts and fears, my eyes be filled with tears
But Jesus is a friend who watches day and night
I go to Him in prayer, He knows my every care
And just a little talk with Jesus makes it right

The Golden Age of Gospel Choirs The 1960's. The Harold Smith Majestics choir was founded in 1963 by Harold Eugene Smith (1934 - 1993) born in Detroit, a nationally known eminent director and composer. They were a gospel choir of fifty voices, some of the finest singers in the Detroit area, Charles Nicks was the organist, and George Jordan and Gordon Strong were the pianist. They made their debut in 1964 at the Edsel Ford Auditorium in Detroit. That concert was their first and became an annual event. The Majestic's soon became the pride of Detroit, and one of the foremost choirs in the country. They began a recording career in mid 60's, their first release was "More Love To Thee," followed by "Just A Little Talk With Jesus" on the SIMCO (VeeJay) label. After the demise of their previous recording company, they began recording for Checker records in 1966. Their recording of James Cleveland's "Lord Help Me To Hold Out" in 1973 is largely responsible for the song becoming a gospel "standard."

"Just A Little Talk With Jesus" is from the 1965 album titled "Just A Little Talk With Jesus," by The Harold Smith Majestics.

Disclaimer: Photographs and music copyright are owned by their originators. No infringement intended.

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I'm an African American mother, grandmother, & retired human services administrator. For more than forty years I have shared adapted West African stories with audiences in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.
I have four blogspots: pancocojams, zumalayah, cocojams2, and .Civil Rights Songs. Much of the content of these blogs were previously found on my cocojams and jambalayah cultural websites. I curate all of these blogs on a voluntary basis.
Each of these blogs have the primary goal of raising awareness about cultural aspects of African American culture and of other Black cultures throughout the world, particularly in regards to music & dance traditions.
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